Legislative Session Ends; Cuomo Takes Victory Lap

“We did what we said we would do,” Governor Andrew Cuomo declared at a press conference this afternoon designed to tout Albany’s record of accomplishment at the end of the legislative session. State lawmakers are now free to busy themselves with running reelection campaigns instead of passing legislation, but Mr. Cuomo wanted to make sure they — and the public at large — were aware of how amazing the government has been these days first.

“The 235th legislative session has done exceptional work,” he declared. “I believe this legislative session is one of the most successful in modern political history.

“When you look at the record of the reform we brought all across the board — the economic reform, the reform to government and the social reform — as the New York Times likes to say, I think it was ‘historic,'” he continued, dryly referencing a Times story that somewhat snarkily noted his fondness for using the word to describe his own record, before ticking off his accomplishments:

“The tax reduction that we brought (lowest rate in 58 years for the middle class), property tax cap, two on-time budgets, the whole concept of entrepreneurial government, regional councils, government reform, we did a Medicaid reform that they said was impossible, … government consolidation, we changed the way that we did budgets, … prison closures, juvenile justice reform, ending fingerprinting for food stamps because hunger is not a crime, prescription drugs, inner city youth hiring, domestic violence [and] marriage equality.”

“It really was an extraordinary piece of work,” he explained. “This is a different state than it was 15 months ago. It really is a new New York.”